Animated sign



G. R. PYPER.

ANIMATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED .IUNESO, I920.

Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- G. R. PYPER.

ANIMATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1920.

Patented June 21 1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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I UNI-TED STATES GEORGE R. PYIER, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIG-NOR TO PYlPER ANIMATED SIGN PATENT OFFICE.

COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

ANIMATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed June '30, 1920. Serial No. 392,955.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. PYPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animated Signs, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact specification.

My invention is concerned with animated signs, and in one aspect 1t 1s concerned with a simple, cheaply constructed sign in which the subject matter can be readily renewed or replaced without dismantling the main portionof the sign. To this end I employ a preferably of the same size as the screen plate that has relatively small closely placed perforations therein.

Back of the animated portion I place a powerful light, preferably a high candle power incandescent bulb with the incandescent portion of the filament occupying a small space. Between the light and the animated part I introduce an animating mem ber, such as a, slotted disk, and provide means to rotate it at the proper speed so that the interruption of the illumination produces the desired animating efiect.

In another aspect it is concerned with a changeable animated sign in which the animated portion may for different subjects be located in different places on the face of-the sign, and it is designed to produce an animating member that maybe readily p0sitioned to coiiperate with animated portions in different parts of the sign, and which ma further be readily driven in any of its di ferent positions.

In a final as ect, it is concerned with a novel method 0 and apparatus for producing an irregular animation, such for instance as is necessary to produce the appearance of rising flames, which vary in height and are consequently irregular in their apparent movement. The fundamental feature of this portion of the invention is the em loyment of an animating screen, such as a sk for instance, in which the difierent apertures through which the light passes, or described conversely, the diflerent screens which interrupt the light, are irregular and non-symmetrical, so that although the screen moves steadily between the light and the part to be animated, the animating light is interrupted irregularly so that an irregular animating effect is producted.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures of which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sign embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section as seen on. the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation as seen insection on the line 3--3 of Fig; 2, with a portion of two of the screen plates broken away to expose the animating disk back of them;

and v Fig. 4 is a section on the hue 4-4: of Fig. 3.

I have designed my present invention more particularly for small cheap signs, in which the subject matter can be changed at will without any great expense. To this end I have illustrated a box 10, constituting a permanent casing, which may be strongly constructed and which is preferably provided with a door 11 at the rear to ive access thereto. At the front of the c sing, 1 form an opening covering substantially the entire front, and bounded by the rectangular molding or strips 12, there preferably being an elongated aperture 13 at the top through which the various screen plates may be introduced. To form a guide for these screen plates, I place on the inside of the casing, preferably on both sides and the'top and bottom the inwardly projecting flange 14, which is parallel to the molding, or strips 12 and cooperating therewith forms achannel on both sides and the bottom of the easing to furnish means for holding the three screen plate members 15, 16 and 17 securely in place, while permitting of their ready removal and replacement; The" front men ber 15, which is shown as of an exaggeratedthicknefi, is preferably a full sized poster sheet of comparatively thin and conseuently transparent paper, which may'have t e matter thereon printed in any desired colors. Immediately back of. the poster 15 lithe member 16, which is preferably-formed of some comparatively stiff paper, or cardboard, which is opaque or substantlally so,

v and in this sheet will be cut one or more apertures. 18, which will be of the proper size, shape and location to reglster w 1th the portion of the poster that is to be animated, such for instance as the flames indicated on the poster, which, as will be seen, represents a mantel with a grate and coal fire therein from which the flames leap upward to the chimney, an appropriate subject, for instance, for advertising coal. Back of the member 16 is placed the member 17 which is preferably a sheet metal plate that is-perforated all over its face with small, preferably regular and closely spaced perforations, such as are shown in Fig. 3. The illumination for the sign is furnished by the incandescent lamp 19, which is preferably located just below and to one side of the flames, and which is, shown as supported fromthe door 11, and it will be understood that this lamp is suitably wired and connected to the necessary current for operating the same. The perforations in the member 17 soften the effect and the member itself prevents the lamp 19 from being visible, although the perforations allow the passage of sufficient light to furnish the necessary illumination.

As I contemplate changing the subject matter of the posters, and consequently the location of the portions to be animated, I"

preferably provide means for supporting the animating disk 20 so that it can be readily positioned to cooperate with any portion of the disk, and to this end I secure on one of the inner sides of the casing, the bracket 21, which has pivoted thereon the bar 22, which can be secured in any desired adjustment by the wing nut 23 cooperating with the bearing formed between the bracket 21 and the bar 22 in a well known manner to secure the bar rigidly to the bracket in any position of adjustment. At the outer end of the bar 22 I pivot thereto another bar 24, and provide this joint also with a wing nut 25 so that this joint .can be made rigid in any adjustment. On the lower end of the bar 24, as seen'in Fig. 22, I place the elongated bearing sleeve 25,-in which is journaled shaft 26 having the animatingdisk 20 secured on its front end, andits rear end may be threaded and provided with a nut 27 by which the disk 20 is held from movement back and forth toward the front of the frame, but is free to rotate; With this mounting it will be obvious that-the animating disk 20 can be adjusted adjacent to and so as to cooperate with any portion of the screen, and in order that it may be readily driven in any adjustment, I preferably provide a small fan motor 28, driving the fan 29 and carried by bracket 30 which can be secured on the side or top and bottom Walls of the casing in any desired position so as to cooperate with the vanes 31 secured at the periphery of the disk 20. By directing the breeze from the fan at the top or the bottom of the disk, it

'of always rising to precisely the same height.

and at the same intervals. Flames, however, do not naturally rise in this manner, and to more perfectly simulate such a rising action, I have devised the novel method, which I referabl carry out by employing such a isk as t e disk 20, and forming therein the apertures shown which, while having the same general spiral and radial trend, are extremely irregular in their outlines so that none of them are alike, and more especially is none of them the same as the adjacent apertures. The result of this irregularity is that, with the disk 20 rotating at a regular speed the flames appear to leap up irregularly to different heights, and thus more perfectly simulate the desired aspect.

The poster sheet 15 with the member 16 having the aperture 18, and the closel erforated member 17, or the equivalent of these elements, form what I have defined in claim 1. as a screen member having the animated portion thereof outlined by perforations therein, and in claims 4, 5 and 6 as a changeable screen member having the animated portion outlined by apertures through Which the light rays can pass.

While I have shown and described m invention as embodied in the form whichl at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is ca able of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims, except as may be necessitated by the state, of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an animated sign, the combination with a screen member having the animated portion thereof outlined by perforations therein, of a light back of the screen member, an animating member movable between the light and the screen member, said animating member containing a plurality of irregularly shaped apertures therein of different designs elongated substantially at right angles to theline of movement thereof, and

,means for moving the animating member nesaeae steadily to produce an apparently irregular movement of the animated portion due to the irregular shape of the apertures.

2. In an animated sign, the combination with a casing having a screen member on one side thereof, and a light therein toward the opposite side thereof, of anopaque, cir-- held therein, an opaque screen plate havlng so much of it as corresponds to the animated portion of the oster sheet cut away, an opaque plate havmg relatively small, closely spaced perforations therein registering with the cut away part of the screen plate, both of said plates being supported in the frame just back of the poster sheet, a light back of said plates, a member movable between the light and the cut away portion to animate the desired matter, and means to move the member.

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member, and means for moving the animating member in any posltion to whlch 1t may be shifted.

5. In an animated sign, the combination with a casing, of a changeable screen member having the animated portion outlined by apertures through which the light rays can pass, a light in the casing back of the apertures in the screen member, an animating member located between the light and the apertures, an adjustable support for the animating member so it can be shifted to cooperate with different parts of the screen member, and means for moving the animating member in any'position to which it may be shifted, said means consisting of a fan adapted to be placed so as to direct a current of air against vanes carried by the animating member.

6. In an animated sign, the combination with a casing, of a changeable screen member having the animated portion outlined by apertures through which the light rays can pass, a light in the casing back of the apertures in the screen member, an animating disk having radially arranged apertures therein and vanes thereon, an adjustable bearing for the animating disk so it can be shifted to cooperate with different parts of the screen member, and an electric fan adapted to be placed in different parts of the casing to direct a currentof air against the vanes in any position in which the animating disk may be adjusted.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal'this 11th day of June, A. D. 1920.

GEORGE R. PYPER. [L 8.

Witness: JOHN HOWARD MoELnoY. 

